Iowa's Aaron White, of Strongsville, scores on a left-handed drive to the basket at Ohio State during the Hawkeyes win in Columbus on Jan. 12.

Before his senior year of high school, White sat at home playing video games with good friend Ray Hamilton when Iowa coach Fran McCaffery and assistant Sherman Dillard called to offer a scholarship.

A native of Strongsville, White received more than 30 scholarship offers overall, but almost all from mid-major programs. He said other Big Ten programs such as Ohio State and Wisconsin showed interest but never offered a scholarship.

White knew he could play in the Big Ten, and so did his summer-league coach, Mike Duncan, who runs the Ohio Basketball Club.

"Aaron knows that he never got what he deserved," Duncan said. "He sees guys that he knows he's better than and they got offers and he didn't. He has used that to push himself to get better."

Now a junior at Iowa, White has seen his scoring average rise each season. And along with leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble, White's play is one of the prime reasons why 16th-ranked Iowa (15-3) is off to such a strong start and is a contender in the Big Ten.

The versatility of the 6-foot-9, 220-pound White is an ideal fit for McCaffery's up-tempo style. He can play either forward position and, during his career, has defended big men such as former Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger (6-9, 265 pounds) as well as guards such as former Indiana star Victor Oladipo (6-4).

White leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage. He is the only Big Ten player to average 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds or better in conference play. White, who is now second in rebounding on the team, could also become the fifth player since 1960 to lead the Hawkeyes in rebounding three consecutive seasons.

On Jan. 12, White returned to Ohio and, playing in front of family and friends, had 19 points and 6 rebounds in the Hawkeyes' victory at Ohio State. Throughout his college career, White has tried to prove one thing to Big Ten opponents: They missed out.

"The top-20 high school players, it's pretty set in stone," White said. "But after that, no one knows. You don't know work ethics. You don't know their desire to be great. That plays a huge role."

White slipped through the recruiting cracks because, well, he was skinny enough to literally slip through. In high school, White said, "It was pathetic, but I didn't lift weights at all."

Despite playing on a well-regarded Ohio Basketball Club, where he teamed with former Louisville forward Chane Behanan, White was not ranked among the nation's top 150 players.

After narrowing his choices to Iowa, Duquesne and Akron, White decided to go to Iowa. His mom, crying, drove him out to Iowa City the morning after high school graduation.

"A lot of people wanted him, but nobody at the highest level was really convinced," McCaffery said. "We felt like we got a steal."

Early in his freshman season, learning plays or working tirelessly was never the problem. But White, who entered college at 205 pounds, struggled with the game's pace and physicality.

"I was questioning whether I should have gone to a mid-major," White said. "Fran never lost faith in me."

The breakout game came Dec. 31, 2011, at Wisconsin. In just 20 minutes, White scored 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting in Iowa's 72-65 victory against the Badgers. As a result, White earned a new fan: Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

After Iowa's 70-66 victory vs. Wisconsin last season, White said, Ryan stopped him in the handshake line, pulled him aside, complimented his game and said that he had missed out on him in high school.

"My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA," White said. "Until I do that, I have a mindset that every gym I walk into, there's always going to be people who have not seen you play. And you have to show them - in so many ways - that you are the best player on the floor."